M'Baku always gravitated toward sports. An energetic and aggressive child, he felt at his best while playing competitive sports. From the early early days playing football on the pitch with neighborhood kids in Abuja to taking up boxing and American football, Baku has always felt most alive in games of physical prowess. As the son of an accomplished petrol executive and research scientist, money has never been a concern for Baku. Anything he wanted to do, his parents were able to provide. When young Baku saw ice hockey for the first time and asked for the opportunity to try the sport, his parents made it happen. Despite the paucity of opportunity and interest in the sport in Nigeria, Baku found the best coaches and ice time to hone his game. He loved the speed and physicality of the game—it challenged him physically and mentally in a way few other things ever had. After a few years, he’d left other sports (Olubori was quite adept at American football) behind to pursue hockey. He didn’t give much thought to being a professional; his goal was always to be better and win. Now, he’s just a few seasons away from likely making the SHL.